“At least from our study, it looks like massive cathartic release of emotion is not necessarily the thing that popular artists are singing about,” said William Chopik, a researcher involved in a new study examining lyrical trends.
Recent data indicates that the emotional intensity of lyrics in popular music has steadily declined over the past 77 years.
A study published last month in the journal Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity and the Arts analyzed nearly 40,000 English-language songs released between 1947 and 2024. Researchers from Michigan State University utilized the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) program to track emotional markers, including words related to anxiety, sadness, and social connections.
According to CTV News, the study found that both positive and negative emotional expressions have decreased across the board. Logan Gibson, a lead author of the study, noted that this trend toward more neutral language could suggest a shift in how artists process and present their experiences. “This could suggest emotional stability as people go throughout their lives,” Gibson said. “They’re able to handle their emotions better.”
While general emotional expression trended downward, the researchers identified two specific exceptions to this pattern. Lyrics containing angry sentiments have increased over the decades, a shift the authors associate with rising levels of social isolation.
Conversely, lyrics explicitly referencing anxiety—such as mentions of sweating, shaking, or feeling nervous—remained prominent despite the broader decline in emotionality.
The research further categorized emotional output by genre, using pop music as the primary baseline for comparison. The study found that rap music generally features fewer angry words than pop, while metal music consistently ranks higher in anger-related vocabulary.
Chopik emphasized that the study focused on counting specific word associations rather than interpreting complex metaphors. The data suggests that modern audiences may be gravitating toward music that prioritizes different themes over high-intensity emotional catharsis.
Does the study analyze the meaning behind song lyrics?
No, the researchers focused on word counts and linguistic associations rather than deep metaphorical analysis. The software flagged specific words that align with predefined emotional categories.
How does the music industry influence these trends?
The study authors suggest that the decline in emotional language may reflect changes in what resonates with contemporary listeners. As industry standards and consumer preferences shift, the type of content artists choose to emphasize in their songwriting evolves accordingly.